Fishing bass tournaments is not my thing as teenagers say. I prefer the laid back recreational style of fishing for fun and relaxation. It is hard enough to catch fish when there is no pressure to perform.

However, I have a friend that loves to bass fish competitively. He is a salesman by profession and that means he has the power to convince people to do something they would not ordinarily do. So, he talks me into fishing a bass tournament with him once a year. And the funny thing is I always enjoy our time together.

We have not won any money or prizes — yet. And whether our mediocre results are because we are poor fishermen or just have bad luck has never been scientifically determined.

The truth is, deep down, we don’t really care. Just taking the time to fish together is what it is all about anyway. What follows is the breakdown of how our adventure begins, the drama of the day, and how it ends. Let’s call it the anatomy of fishing an amateur bass tournament.

The weekend before the tournament

Many phone calls are exchanged between my partner and me. We discuss strategy, lures and techniques, locations, what ifs and finally come to the conclusion that our success or lack of it is in the hands of greater forces than either of us.

Five nights before the big event

Every evening after work and dinner, I spend an hour or so packing and re-packing my tackle boxes. Plastic worms and weights and hooks go in this compartment, new swim baits in that pocket. What if the fish are on a crank-bait bite? Go through the many dozens of lures, most of which have never caught a fish, and try to decide which ones go or stays. Check the top-water lures box next. Make sure to have enough buzz-baits, spinner baits and poppers. These are my favorite type of lures; so much thought is put into culling this pile into a dozen or so guaranteed fish slayers.

Two nights before the tournament

I go through my tackle again and more or less throw out most of what I had already selected and replace it with other lures. Now is the time to make sure of the little things: flashlight with new batteries so I won’t hit my shin on the trailer hitch again. I make sure to have a rain suit and a functioning pair of pliers. Last year, I forgot to oil my pliers after using them on a saltwater excursion. They had rusted into some form of modern art when I pulled them out of their sheath during last year’s tournament.

The night before

I drive to my friend’s house and we carefully pack his boat with enough fishing equipment and rods for ten anglers. It is difficult to know what will work so we always over-compensate with a ton of goods and then spend a great deal of time looking for something specific later.

The morning of the tournament

We rise at least two hours before launch time, excited as two kids on Christmas morning. Many cups of strong coffee are drunk, which just adds to the nervous excitement. A last minute check of the boat finds a tail light on the trailer not working. My partner gives it a healthy whack or two and it lights up. We leave for the ramp spirits running high. This will be the year when we make it into the win column.

Just before first light

The lake is low due to scant rainfall and hazards abound. Carefully, we launch the boat and motor our way out to a creek channel previously scouted and tie up to a tree. We laugh about the guy that launched behind us. He forgot to tie a rope from his boat to the trailer after he unhooked the winch strap. His boat floated off the trailer and out into the lake. It was a good thing the water was warm because he had to wade out waist deep to retrieve it.

This tournament is a large one and lots of other anglers are already on the lake. Boats seem to be anchored to every flooded tree as far as the eye can see, and their lights make the dark surface of the water look festive. As usual when fishing the weather is going to be a factor. The wind is already blowing a steady 15-20 mph out of the south. It is going to be a rough day and there is a strong possibility of thunder showers.

I usually tie on a buzz bait to start bass fishing and this day is no exception. On the 10th cast, I catch a bass. It is a good hefty fish and weighs 5-pounds. The only problem is, this tournament is being held on a slot-limit lake and all bass between 16 and 24-inches have to be released. The fish measures 22-inches so back into the lake it goes.

The weather continues to deteriorate and we sit through several rain showers fishing all the while. Fortunately, there is no lightning and we stick it out. We catch a total of seven bass during the day and all of them fail to qualify for the weigh-in and possible prizes. With only 30 minutes of tournament time remaining, my partner catches a bass that looks like it will comply with the rules. One of the tournament provisions is the first angler to turn in a bass that is under 16-inches and weighs exactly 2.5-pounds wins a fully rigged bass boat.

We weigh my partner’s fish and it tips the scales at exactly 2.5-pounds. Excitement builds exponentially. Next we measure it. We are cursed. The fish is exactly 1/16th of an inch too long to qualify. We measure it again, and again. The stubborn bass refuses to shrink. We come to the sad conclusion, it must be released, and so we do. Time runs out. Maybe next year will be our turn. Fishermen are an optimistic lot if nothing else.

Barry St. Clair is a guest columnist for the Athens Daily Review. His columns appear weekly.